


Silent Knight

by DeVloer



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, But not that much, Healing, Magic, Sign Language, gay flirting, lil bit, mute character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:34:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23128609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeVloer/pseuds/DeVloer
Summary: A strange man crosses ways with the king of Camelot. Except he can't talk. But boy, has he got a story
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	Silent Knight

The crackling of the fire was barely hearable over the shouts and cries of various men, women, and children.

The village didn't stand a chance.

Tristian, together with his brother Julian, had been able to fight off the three knights dressed in black cloaks attacking his home, but they were quickly replaced by another five knights. Julian had pushed his younger brother aside, yelling he would hold them off, before facing them on his own.

Tristian had nodded before grabbing Isabelle, his younger sister, who had been watching the scene in pure terror, clutching her ragdoll closely to her chest. He threw her over her shoulder and ran for the backdoor, looking back one more time. He shouldn't have.

His sister let out a heartwrenching scream as he saw his brother getting pierced through the heart. The sword was pulled back quickly and Julian fell on his knees, before falling over completely.

Tristian wanted to scream, but he couldn't. He was sure the furious rage inside him would give him enough power to finish all five bandits with one blow. But he didn't.

He clutched Isabelle close before making a run for it.

He kept running, not giving in to his trembling knees begging him to stop. He could feel Isabelle's sobbing breaths on his shoulder, but she'd have to wait to be comforted.

He arrived at the old water fountain faster then he'd ever had in the practice runs.

It was quite ironic. He had laughed at his mother when she proposed the idea of practicing an attack. She had said it was better to be safe than sorry. He called her overprotective before elbowing Julian, who was snickering too.

_Julian..._

It was like his little sister suddenly weighed a ton. He couldn't help but fall to his knees and put Isabelle down. He wanted to scream, cry, punch the nearest tree or all of it at the same time. But he knew he couldn't, he knew he needed to be strong for his sister and screaming wasn't something he could do anyway.

He was mute. He had never spoken a word in his whole life. Everything was fine with his hearing, he just couldn't speak. His family had made up a sign language Tristian could use to communicate, but most people still couldn't understand him.

Yeah, it was a bit annoying to talk to strangers, but he had learned it was just a part of him he had to deal with, so he accepted it rather quickly.

 _"It's gonna be alright, mom will be here any second."_ He signed to his sister, whose eyes were red from tears. She nodded and hugged his arm, burying her face in his jacket. He rubbed soothing circles on her back and tried to calm her breathing by matching it with his.

They both jumped up from the rustling behind them. Instinctively Tristian reached for his sword, putting his arm protectively around Isabelle.

His mother came stumbling forwards. He dropped his sword and rushed to her, grabbing her hands to support her. He checked for wounds but there weren't any. She held his cheeks in her hands and did the same, before lifting Isabelle in the air and holding her close.

"I'm so glad you two are safe." She muttered before putting Isabelle down again. "Where's Julian?"

He gulped and slowly shook his head, silently apologizing for not saving him. Her eyes watered for a mere second before she shook her head like she was in denial. He grabbed her hands, making her look up again.

 _"You two must go to aunt Katherine, you'll be safe there."_ Tristian signed with one hand, the other keeping hold of her hand.

She rose a brow. "Us two? Where are you gonna go?" She asked, slightly squeezing his fingers.

He smiled comfortingly. _"I'm going to Camelot, we must tell King Arthur about this."_

She gasped and quickly shook her head. "Without a horse? That's a three-day walk!"

_"Not if I interfere with one of their patrols. I know the routes they take, I can meet up with them."_

She shook her head again. "How will you make them understand you?"

Tristian simply shrugged, deciding that was enough of an answer. _"I'll be fine, it's most important you two are safe."_

He let go of his mother's hand. She stopped trying to convince him and just hugged him close. "Come home safely."

He nodded as an answer before going on one knee and hugging his sister. She grabbed his hand, putting her palm over his. It was only after she pulled back he realized she placed something in his hand. He looked down and found a little pink bow. He looked up at her doll and instantly noticed one of her pigtails was missing.

He grinned at her and signed. _"I'll be sure to return it."_

He stood up and reached for his sword, sliding it in his leather belt. He flashed another smile at his family before turning around, marching to the West.

***

About twenty hours had passed since the attack. Tristian had wakened on the cold mossy ground of the cave he was staying in, quickly realizing this wasn't just a childish nightmare he was having.

He hadn't eaten since yesterday, and it was draining his energy. He wasn't starving, but it was enough food shortage to notice it in his slow pace.

That's why his mouth had watered at the sight of the two rabbits laying on the ground. Someone must have left them there to continue hunting. He made sure that it wasn't a trap before slowly walking towards them. Carefully, he picked one up.

This was stealing! He couldn't do this, this was wrong!

But his stomach growled, the hunger seemingly worse than ever before. He stood there for a few minutes debating with himself before hearing the leaves of a bush move. He quickly turned around, dropping the rabbit and reaching for his sword. But it was too late.

Suddenly he got pulled back. He felt the cool metal of a sword against his throat and a harsh hand bringing his hair backwards.

"Stealing, ey? You can get in prison for that, you know." A voice mumbled in his ear.

Tristian whimpered and quickly shook his head, trying to indicate he was innocent.

The voice chuckled and let go of him, pushing him so hard he almost fell on the grass. He turned around.

The voice belonged to a handsome blond knight, who was still pointing his sword at Tristian. Beside him was a lanky raven-haired boy, wearing scruffy clothes and a red neckerchief.

"What're you doing here?" The knight asked, raising his sword a little.

Tristian was still too much in shock to answer, not that he really could.

The boy snickered slightly. "Seems like you spooked him a little too much." He said before turning to him and smiling softly. "What is your name?"

He wanted to answer, but he knew they wouldn't understand his sign language. He tried to get across he couldn't speak by shaking his head.

The knight's face scrunched up in confusion. "Can you even talk?"

He sighed in relief and quickly shook his head. The knight and the boy shared a glance at each other before the knight pushed his sword in the earth and making a small hand gesture. "Get him some paper, Merlin."

The boy, apparently named Merlin, nodded and opened his jacket, reaching in and grabbing a piece of charcoal and a rather small piece of paper. He walked up to Tristian and handed it over. He quickly scribbled some keywords on.

_Village attacked_

_Cenred's knights_

_Need help_

He gave the paper back to them. The knight read it over before letting Merlin read it. He looked up. "You were attacked by knights from Cenred?"

He nodded, he clearly remembered their black cloaks displaying the Cenred's logo on their chests.

"What was the name of the village?" Merlin asked, stepping closer and giving the paper.

_Barmourne_

Tristian turned the paper around. Both bowed forward to read it. "Barmourne? That belongs to Camelot."

He nodded as confirmation, although they probably didn't need it.

The knight and the boy glanced at each other, both instantly understanding what it meant. "Prepare the horses, Merlin. We'll ride back to Camelot immediately." He ordered. Tristian realized Merlin was probably his servant.

Merlin nodded, grabbing the two rabbits and walking away. The knight turned his attention to him again, plucking his sword from the ground. "I never learned your name."

Tristian, who still had the paper in his hand, wrote down his name, using the very last bit of space.

_Tristian_

He showed it. The knight smiled slightly and looked up again. "Tristian."

It wasn't a question, but he nodded and smiled anyway. He folded the paper and put it in his back pocket before pointing at the knight.

He rose an eyebrow. "My name?"

He nodded excitedly, making the knight grin. "It's Arthur."

His mouth opened like a blobfish. _He was talking to the King of Camelot._ The King laughed at his reaction. "Come on then Tristian." He said with a hand gesture before turning around, walking after Merlin.

Tristian followed behind quickly, still not getting over the shock he was _actually talking to the king._

The servant came walking towards them, two horses in each hand. He handed one to Arthur and the other to him. He looked at him in confusion. He expected he was the one that would have to walk, he was just a mere citizen.

Arthur, who already climbed on his horse, noticed his confusion. "We'll want to reach the kingdom as fast as possible, so my servant and I will share a horse." He explained, reaching out a hand to help Merlin climb on.

He quickly nodded and mounted his horse too. A few moments later Merlin kicked their horse and set off. Tristian quickly followed behind.

_***_

They reached Camelot in a couple of hours. Tristian was glad he didn't have to walk all this way. They didn't talk a lot during the ride, mainly because of the hard wind making it nearly impossible to understand one another.

They arrived on the main square, a couple of knights instantly coming up to them to take over their horses. He got off slowly. He saw Merlin and Arthur whisper something to a maid that had been waiting for them. They ended with a nod before Arthur marched up the stairs and Merlin and the maid came up to him.

"Hi. My name is Guinevere, although most people call me Gwen." She said, smiling kindly and putting out her hand for him to shake.

He smiled back and shook her hand, hoping Merlin had already explained he was mute so he wouldn't look rude.

She giggled slightly. "Merlin and Arthur explained everything to me, don't worry."

He smiled in appreciation before nodding towards the staircase Arthur had disappeared after and raising a brow.

Merlin spoke this time. "Arthur's gathering up the knights. He'll probably hold some sort of stupid speech to tell us when we're leaving and what we're gonna do." He grinned.

Tristian couldn't help but snicker at the rude way he was speaking of his King. He must have a good bond with him or he'd be thrown in the stocks for what he said.

He nodded before pointing to himself and shrugging curiously.

Merlin understood instantly (was he telepathic or something?). "You'll be coming with us, showing us the way." He said, before pointing to the sword still hanging in his belt. "If you're any good with the sword you can fight along in the battle."

Tristian nodded instantly, his eyes flaring with intensity. He wasn't planning to just sit and watch while others fought for his village. Plus, he'd be fighting along with King Arthur, he wasn't gonna let that opportunity pass.

Merlin and Guinevere chuckled at his reaction. The three of them turned around when their names were called.

They got led in a rather large room, a dozen knights standing in rows watched them come in. Arthur was standing before his throne, a couple steps higher than the rest.

Tristian stood beside Guinevere as Arthur started his "stupid" speech.

"Knights of Camelot. Sir Cenred has invaded our kingdom. They have attacked the village Barmourne, one of our villages close to the border. They had no right to take over this piece of land, and we will take it as a dedication of war. All knights standing in this room will go with me, along with Tristian, one of the survivors of the attack."

He gestured to the villager, and a few knights turned their heads to look at him He smiled shyly at them before looking back at Arthur, who continued:

"He will lead us the way. Make sure you'll pack well, it will take about two days. We'll ride out at first sunlight."

Nobody clapped. All the knights just kind of nodded before turned to one another and beginning a conversation. Arthur made his way to Tristian. "I'll make sure you'll be addressed a room, you can rest there till morning comes."

He nodded and bowed slightly, thanking him without words. The King smiled at him before giving a stern glance at his servant. "Merlin, I'll need you to remove any dents from my armor, polish it, and sharpen my sword. Oh, and give Tristian our best guest room." He said, chuckling at his servant's annoyed expression before walking out of the room.

Merlin sighed loudly before muttering a "follow me." Tristian tried to hold back laughter while he followed him. They went up a couple of stairs and turned a right corner. Merlin pushed open the heavy wooden door to reveal maybe the nicest room Tristian had ever seen.

The chamber alone might be the same size as his house, the bed was covered with blankets so nicely done he'd think they would have used a ruler. And the best part, the dinner table was full of plates with different kinds of fruits and vegetables on them, along with a few goblets filled to the brim with either water or wine.

It was like his stomach suddenly remembered he hadn't eaten or drank anything for a day and a half. His mouth watered and he eyed the table eagerly.

Merlin snickered slightly. "Make yourself at home. I'll bring you dinner in a couple of hours. You can stay here or explore the castle in the meantime."

He looked back and smiled gratefully, the servant smiled back before walking back to the door and leaving with a simple wave.

The moment the door closed Tristian reached out for a water jug, pouring himself a generous glass and swallowing the water in large gulps. He poured another one and downed it just as rapidly, not caring he might get hiccups later. He finished it and put it down, already stretching his arm to grab an apple. This time he made sure to eat slower and keep some space for dinner.

He threw the core away before sitting on the bed and laying down on his back, his legs dangling off the edge.

For the first time since he left Barmourne, he reached in his pocket to check for Isabelle's bowtie. He put it above his head, playing with the soft fabric that felt pleasant between his fingers.

Maybe he made the wrong decision by leaving them with their aunt. What if her village got attacked as well? He couldn't imagine what those bandits would do to his mother and sister that didn't result in the same fate Julian had.

He clenched his fist around the bow, a few tears gathering in his eyes and slipping past his cheeks.

He wasn't gonna let that happen. He wasn't gonna let his family die. He had already failed Julian, he wasn't gonna fail Isabelle and his mother. He couldn't.

He laid there for a few moments, letting his tears fall freely. He sighed and put the bow back in his pocket and stood up from the bed. He made sure it wasn't visible he had cried in the mirror before stepping out of the room.

He noticed very quickly the castle was very big and blooming with life. Tons of maids giggling together or knights playfully punching each other walked past him. Every time Tristian turned a corner and thought that he would meet a dead end, there was another hallway with a dozen doors. After about half an hour of roaming around, he noticed he had no idea how to get back to his room.

He turned another corner and almost bumped into two knights.

One of them was dark-skinned with pretty cocoa eyes. The other had wavy black hair reaching his neck and a stupid grin on his face.

"Woah there. Watch where you're going, handsome."

Tristian rose a brow at the not-unwanted compliment the wavy-haired knight gave him. The knight kept grinning at him while the other elbowed him.

"You're that mute guy, right? Uh, Trekkie, was it?" The brown-eyed knight asked, looking at him curiously.

He was about to shake his head but the wavy-haired knight grabbed his shoulder firmly. "Oh yeah! You're Trekkie! You're coming with us tomorrow, right?"

Apparently, he was now called Trekkie. He shrugged and nodded before pointing at the two knights with a small smile.

"My name is Elyan. I'm the brother of Gwen, who you've already met." He said, shaking his hand.

Tristian grinned. He recognized his eyes instantly as he said it, they were nearly identically to the maid's. He tried to get the message across by pointing at the knight's eyes.

He grinned. "Yeah, people often tell us they can tell we have the same parents because of our eyes." He chuckled mid-sentence. Tristian returned the smile before meeting the stare of the other knight.

"Gwaine." Was his simple introduction. He grabbed the shy boy's hand and planted a soft kiss on his knuckles. He couldn't help the deep blush rushing to his cheeks. He giggled slightly and pulled his hand back. The knight winked, only causing him to be more embarrassed.

"You don't have to flirt with _every_ guy or girl your age, Gwaine." Elyan elbowed Gwaine again, this time harder. He grunted in pain but chuckled at the same time, holding up his hands in defense.

"I don't flirt with everyone, _Elyan_." He began, using the same tone of mocking Elyan had used. "Only with the real gems."

Tristian was sure his whole face must be red. Sure, tons of girls had flirted with him in his hometown, but they were always quickly disappointed after learning he had no voice. None of his nights out resulted in anything more than just a few wild kisses after a certain amount of alcohol. But this was different. First of all, this was a _man,_ second of all, this man had no intention of stopping because of his flaw.

"Will you be joining us in the fight against Cendred's men?" Gwaine asked, changing the subject of the conversation.

He nodded, still trying to cool his face down.

"Up for a match?"

He turned his head sideways before grabbing the chainmail on the knights' armor and pointing at himself, wearing no protection at all.

Gwaine shrugged. "It won't matter. It's not like I'm actually going to hit you." He grinned smugly and added. "But of course, I'm still going to beat you."

Tristian laughed silently before making a mocking "not happening" gesture with his finger.

The two knights laughed. "Come on then, let's go to the training ground and we'll see who's the best," Elyan said, turning around, making the other men follow him.

They walked through a room filled with different weapons and armor before stepping through a door taking them outside. The sounds of swords clanging together could be heard from the match happening just a few feet away. Most knights were just getting out of their armor since it was pretty late in the afternoon already. Although the sun was still out, the multiple clouds covering the sky still made it pretty cold to walk around in just a jacket.

"Well then," Gwaine said, grabbing the sword from his belt after finding an open space. The two men instantly got the intention from anyone nearby, curiously wondering what a poor villager was doing facing a knight.

"Let's see what you got." He flashed a smile and got in a defensive stance.

Tristian returned the smile and reached for his sword. He took a couple steps closer before attacking from the left side.

Gwaine easily blocked the first few hits but had a hard time with guessing where on his body Tristian was gonna hit him.

Tristian tried to close the space between them, while Gwaine tried to enlarge the distance. This caused Gwaine to constantly take steps back.

Finally, the mute stopped, indicating it was Gwaine's turn to attack him. As he tried to regain his breath he noticed the group of bystanders had nearly doubled. Most people were looking rather impressed at Tristian's skills.

Gwaine convinced himself he was just going easy on him. He looked up at Tristian's cocky smile and marched forwards with big steps.

His attacks were fast and steady, but no match to Tristian's quick thinking. Before his sword was even close to the other's limbs, a sword was already there to block it.

After a few hits, Gwaine grabbed the handle of his sword with two hands and swung it sideways. The villager had no other option but ducking. He grabbed his sword steadily and hit the knight in the back of the knee.

It wasn't hard enough to hurt him, but it still made him stumble backwards. He barely had time to react before Tristian's boot met his chest.

He fell on his back with a loud groan. When he opened his eyes there was a pointy sword close to his neck. All Tristian had to do was thrust it forward and his life would've been over.

Instead, Tristian flashed him a sincere smile before sliding his sword in his belt and offering him his hand.

He smiled back and gladly took it. Tristian pulled him up with ease. It was quiet for a few moments before the crowd began cheering loudly.

Tristian smiled shyly and rubbed the back of his head. Gwaine grabbed him by the shoulder, making him lookup.

"You're a fine swordsman. You should be proud."

He chuckled and shrugged modestly.

Six of the people from the crowd walked up to them. Tristian quickly recognized them as Arthur, Merlin, and Elyan. One of the other three had curly blond hair that could honestly go for a wash. The second had a black stubble on his chin along with short wavy black hair. The last one had big muscles, cropped blond hair and sleeveless chainmail.

The big-muscled one spoke up. "You're pretty good, although most people are able to win from Gwaine." He said, earning an eye-rolling from the long-haired knight.

"You try beating him! Trekkie's a lot faster then he looks." Gwaine said in a childish way, crossing his arms.

Tristian smiled sideways, quite amused by the fact the knight kept getting his name wrong. Merlin rose an eyebrow, as did Arthur. "Trekkie? His name is Tristian."

Gwaine turned his head. "Wait, really?" The silent boy simply nodded.

"No way! Why didn't you say any-" He was stopped mid-sentence by five icy glares. "Right, sorry..."

The boy shrugged, not really caring.

This time the king himself spoke up, taking a step forward. "Anyway, where did you learn to fight like that?"

Tristian bit his lip. How was he gonna explain he practiced sword fighting in his free time as a blacksmith? He made a few silly movements with his hands before deciding to imitate slamming metal with a hammer.

"Miner?" Arthur guessed, apparently thinking he was holding an imaginary pickaxe. He shook his head, doing the movement another time.

The curly blond knight snapped his fingers. "Blacksmith!" He tried. The excited thumbs up of the mute was enough of an answer to know he guessed right, making the others snicker.

"How did you get so much free time to be able to practice that much?" For the first time, the black-haired knight with a cape spoke up. His voice was low and had a funny accent.

Tristian made a ball with his hands, and gradually but steadily made it smaller.

"Small village?" he asked.

He nodded. He lifted his hand and held up 8 fingers before making a zero with his thumb and index finger.

"Only 80 people?" Elyan asked, raising his brow. Tristian nodded. "I thought Barmourne was bigger than that."

Tristian shook his head and shrugged. The conversation fell silent for a few moments before the curly blond spoke up. "Well, we should get ready. We'll need a good night's sleep for tomorrow."

Tristian guessed they were coming to Barmourne as well. The knights were about to walk away but he lightly tugged on the blond one's chainmail, making him turn around again. He pointed to the three knights he didn't know the name of yet with curious eyes.

"Oh right." The blonde knight pointed to himself. "My name is Leon."

He pointed to the big-muscled knight. "That is Percival."

"And that's Lancelot." He said. The knight nodded and smiled slightly.

Tristian smiled and waved at them. They smiled back and turned around again, along with Elyan. Gwaine winked and grinned flirtatiously at him before following them, skipping cheerfully.

"Ignore him, he flirts with everyone," Arthur said, chuckling slightly. Tristian shrugged, trying to make the small blush go away.

The king pointed at his sword. "Can I see it?"

The boy nodded and pulled out his sword, handing it over. He looked over it carefully, checking the material and sliding his fingers over the edges. "Fine material. Seems like you're not just a good swordsman, but also a good blacksmith." He complimented.

Tristian smiled at the ground and simply shrugged as response. The knight handed it over to Merlin. "My servant will sharpen it for you. He'll give it back in the morning."

Merlin rolled his eyes, clearly very unhappy with the extra work. Tristian grinned and bowed his head, thanking the king.

"You should head back to your room." The king proceeded, nodding to a part of the castle Tristian guessed where his room was. "We got a big day tomorrow, I want you to be well-rested."

The boy nodded. The king smiled at him before turning to his servant. "Come on then Merlin. Get started!" He encouraged, before walking away with him.

Tristian watched them for a few moments before turning around. He wandered around a bit before finding his room again. He instantly flopped down on the bed.

About an hour later Merlin walked in, a plate filled with different kinds of meats and greens. The mute thanked him and gratefully ate it. It was probably the best food he ever tasted, but that's what you expect when you're a guest from the king.

He barely finished the last bite, before he suddenly noticed how extremely tired he was. He could barely keep his eyes open. He slowly made his way to the bed. He was planning to strip out of his clothing but the moment he got his jacket off he noticed he wasn't gonna make it. He gave up and let himself fall on the bed. The moment his body collided the pillows his heavy eyes lost the battle against sleep.

***

The following morning the speechless boy got wakened up by the joyful chatter of inhabitants from Camelot getting ready for the day. The tingling of breakfast trays and the soft paces of people walking past each other made much more pleasant wake up then his mother throwing a bucket of cold water over him, which was usually how he woke up.

As he stretched out, his eyes landed on the small pile of fresh clothes and his sharpened sword leaning against the table. He smiled slightly, reminding himself to thank Merlin later. As he walked up closer, he also noticed a plate with some bread, cheese and grapes and a large bowl with clean water.

He stuck a few grapes in his mouth while changing out of his clothes. He cleaned his face and hair with the water before slipping on the new tunic. It was a little too large for him, but not enough for it to be a problem. He grabbed the handle of his sword and slid it in his belt. He ate the bread and cheese while sipping on a glass of water and staring out the window.

Just as he finished he noticed a bunch of horses being brought up to the square. He took that as his sign to leave the room.

He made his way to the square, being careful not to bump in any maids. Once there he looked around.

The group of knights he had talked to the previous day were standing near each other. Arthur and Merlin were talking to each other while preparing a couple horses, or well, Merlin was. He decided to walk to the bigger group.

"If it isn't Tristian!" Leon exclaimed when he saw him walking up. The other knights turned around, each with a fond smile on their faces. Except for Gwaine, who put up the same stupid grin as yesterday when he bumped into him.

He waved at them, returning their smile. "Excited for today?"

He nodded and looked up when someone else yelled his name.

"Tristian!" Arthur came up to them, followed by Merlin. Tristian realized he had barely seen the two apart from each other. They must be close.

The king had the leash of an already prepared horse in his hand, but a quick scan around told him most horses were prepared. "This'll be the horse you'll ride on. Don't worry, she's really calm."

He nodded before the leash was pushed in his hands. "We'll leave in a few moments." He said shortly, before raising his voice. "Everyone, get on your horses!"

He looked at his horse. It was a white mare with a few black spots around her nose. He smiled to himself and scratched behind her ears.

 _"Hello there."_ He sighed with his fingers. _"I'll take good care of you."_

The horse seemed to understand and excitedly bobbed her head. He chuckled and stroke over her snout before climbing on. Only now he noticed a few of the knights staring at him.

"What did you do with your hand?" Elyan asked, trying to imitate the movements. Tristian couldn't help but snicker at how sloppy it looked.

 _"It's sign language."_ He sighed, even though he knew they couldn't understand it.

Leon, already on his horse, came up. "Is it a sort of language?"

The villager nodded. He was about to sign again but Arthur's voice pierced through the air.

"We're leaving!"

The knights who were still on the floor quickly got on their horses. Those who were already on kicked their horses so they would move.

They rode out in a straight line of two people wide. Tristian ended up beside Lancelot. They left the castle in a slow trot.

After a while, the line got a bit more casual. Their pace slowed down to normal pace and they had a bit more space to have a decent conversation.

Well, decent conversation? It was more like constantly running out of creative ways to answer the questions thrown at him (How on earth do you depict the word farming...?) He didn't mind it though, they laughed a lot and the knights seemed to take a liking on him.

Somehow, the conversation ended back to his sign language.

"So this sign language. Did you make it up yourself?" Percival asked.

He nodded. Gwaine, who was riding to his right, spoke up. "So you have a sign for every word?"

He nodded again, feeling a bit proud that they were so interested in it.

Gwaine seemed to think for a few minutes before grinning. "How do you apologize to someone for accidentally setting their favorite shirt on fire?"

Tristian rose an eyebrow at the odd request but showed it anyway. He made each movement slowly and carefully so Gwaine could easily copy them.

"Hey, Arthur!" He shouted to the king, who was a few horses beyond them. He turned his head, an annoyed expression on his face. "What is it, Gwaine?"

Gwaine grinned before signing. His movements were unsteady and weird, but it's not like it mattered because Arthur wouldn't be able to understand it anyway.

After he finished the king was looking at him like he had lost his mind. The other knights were laughing their asses off, along with Tristian, who was making soundless giggles. Arthur simply shook his head and looked forward again.

Gwaine snickered before shrugging. "Had to tell him in some way." He looked at Tristian again and did a thumbs up.

They kept going like that for a while. Asking the signs of different sayings. Everything was rather innocent until they started swearing, which they seemed a lot more interested in. They were making up the weirdest profanities and Tristian kept translating them. They laughed and bickered all the way.

Once the sun began to set, Arthur called everyone off their horses to set up camp. Tristian offered to help but they kept dismissing him, saying: "You're our guest!" or "We can do to on our own!"

So this let him lean against the tree, watching all the knights run back and forth, yelling at each other to get more firewood or to water the horses. It was quite amusing.

About two hours later the sun had completely come down and the only light illuminating them was the crackling fire in the middle of their circle. He got a plate of stew pushed in his hands before sitting down and eating with the rest of them. Dinner was kept in silence.

Percival was the one to break it. "I'll hold watch first. I'll wake up the next person in two hours."

As if on command, everyone nodded and broke away from the circle. He ended up sharing a tree laying diagonally with Lancelot and Merlin, using the log as pillow. It wasn't the most comfortable, but it would be enough for a night. He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep.

***

He woke up with a terrified scream, except he couldn't make a sound, so it sounded more like a strained gasp for air.

His wide-opened eyes looked around in fear, and it took him a while to figure out he was no longer dreaming. After his realization, he reached into his pocket to check on his bow. He sighed of relief when he felt the familiar fabric between his fingers. He clutched it tightly.

It was too real. He's never had a dream that felt that real. He kept seeing Julian die, ever time seemingly in a worse way than before, Isabelle's agonizing scream was still ringing through his ears.

He wanted to cry, but at the same time, he didn't. He didn't want the knights to see him in that state.

"Tristian?"

He jumped up, almost screaming again. He looked at the cause of the sound, quickly finding out it was Arthur who called him. He stood before him, wearing a blanket over his shoulders like a cape.

The king's eyes were filled with worry. "You okay?"

The mute gulped before slowly nodding.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Arthur asked gently, stepping closer. He crouched down on the same place Lancelot had been sleeping- when did Lancelot even leave?

He nodded again, still trying to calm his breath.

The king softly smiled at him before his eyes landed on the pink bowtie still in his hand. "What's that?" He asked curiously, reaching out to it.

Tristian slowly opened it, revealing the bow. Arthur seemed to grin. "From a girlfriend?"

He couldn't help but snort at the suggestion. He looked at Arthur and shook his head. He pointed to himself, before putting his hand before him and lowering it.

Arthur rose a brow. "A smaller you?" He said in confusion before he got it. "Oh, you mean your sister?"

He nodded and smiled. He hoped she was safe.

Arthur smiled back before standing up again. "Get some sleep, the sun's coming up in a few hours."

He nodded and laid down again, he closed his eyes.

His brother always told him royals were the worst people you could imagine. Was he right or was this one just an exception?

He tried, he really did try to fall back asleep. But every time he closed his eyes his nightmare returned.

***

When he opened his eyes the next morning, most knights were already up.

Most were preparing their horses, a dry piece of bread in their hand. Leon was the first to notice he was awake and came up to him. He tore a piece from his bread and handed it over. "We'll be leaving in half an hour. Pack your things."

He nodded and pushed himself off the ground, before making his way to the white mare. He nibbled on the bread before deciding he wasn't hungry and giving the rest to the horse, who neighed gratefully.

It wasn't long before they were on their way again.

It was a lot different from yesterday. Everyone seemed tenser, Tristian figured it was because they were approaching Cenred's borders. Even Gwaine seemed serious, which was a sight he didn't think he would ever see.

Suddenly, an arrow zoomed by right before his face.

He jumped backwards, tugging harshly on the leash. The frightened horse let out a loud squeal and raised his front legs in the air. Tristian tried holding on to the saddle but found himself rapidly sliding off. He landed on the ground with a loud thud.

The knights in front of him turned around, curious what happened. When a second arrow flew past them, a clear panic became visible in their eyes.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"

He didn't know who screamed it, but suddenly he found himself back to back with Percival, sword steadily in hand. Dozens of knights came running down the mountains. They wore the same black cloaks like the knights that attacked Barmourne.

He was facing three knights at the same time, but he was lucky. Most of Camelot's knights were facing five or six. He fought them off quite easily, giving him time to look around.

His eyes fell on the king, who was facing seven knights, together with Merlin. It was no wonder people said he was the best swordsman from Camelot because it seemed it wasn't even a challenge for him.

A knight suddenly ran up to Arthur, who was busy with two others. The knight had an axe in the air that glimmered in the sunlight. Tristian panicked and threw his sword across the field like a spear. It hit him in the back, making him let out a pained scream.

Great! The king was out of danger. But now he was unarmed. That's not so great.

What was even less great was that two other knights were now focusing on him, since he couldn't defend himself anymore. He picked up a stick from the ground and tried his best to deflect any swings.

It was working pretty okay until one of the two tackled him to the ground. He hit his head pretty hard, making his dizzy for just a few moments. When he gained focus again the second knight rose his sword above his head. Tristian quickly held up the stick, but he wasn't fast enough to completely block the attack.

When the sword came down, his stick broke in half easily. The sword swayed to the right and cut him deeply in his arm.

He gasped in pain and clutched his arm tightly. The blood was seeping through his fingers in large amounts. Blinded by pain, he didn't see the knight raising his sword a second time, this time not planning on missing his target.

"Stop. That's enough."

Tristian looked around, his vision clearing again. The knight looked up at the voice before putting his sword away. The mute got pulled up roughly by a pair of hands he didn't recognize. The second he was on his feet his arms were pulled on his back so tightly, the slightest movement could pop his shoulder out of place. He hissed sharply.

He looked up at whoever saved his life. The voice belonged to a beautiful woman with wild black hair and a swamp green dress. But she didn't look like a friendly person.

He looked around. All of the knights were either unmoving or with their hands on their back. They had lost the battle.

The following hours all came by in a blur. A piece of rope got tied around their wrists and they were dragged to a caste. Any time any of them tried to talk, they would be kicked to the ground and not helped up again. Once they were in the castle they were brought to a big throne room, where the woman was already sitting.

They got pushed down on their knees. The woman had a wicked smile across her face. "We meet again, dear brother."

Tristian looked sideways, curious who was going to answer. Arthur did. "I should have guessed you were behind this, Morgana."

The woman, named Morgana, chuckled. "I merely gave the small push Cendred needed."

She stood up, glancing over her prisoners. Her eyes rested on Tristian, who could barely breathe out of fear. She stepped closer. "You're not a knight of Camelot, are you?"

The villager shook his head, his lips slightly trembling. She reached out her hand and cupped his chin. "What's your name? Where did you come from?"

He kept looking her in the eyes, hoping one of the knights would speak up for him. Suddenly she hissed and slapped him across his face, leaving a hot mark. "Answer me!"

"Hey!" Multiple furious voices rang through the room, but only one continued. "He's a mute, he can't speak," Arthur explained snarkily.

"Oh." Morgana chuckled and cupped his cheek again. "I've always wanted to find out what a mute sounds like when tortured..."

Tristian felt a long shiver from his lower back all the way to the rising hairs on his neck. The black-haired woman flashed him a terrifying grin before harshly pushing his chin to the side. "Take them away."

They were forced to stand up as they got shoved out of the room. They walked down a couple of stairs to the dungeons. They lost their rope and got pushed in the cold, damp cells.

Tristian ended up sharing a cell with Arthur and Merlin. Gwaine, Elyan, and Percival were in the cell across from them. Lancelot and Leon were a couple cells over, so he wasn't able to see them but they could still talk to each other if they would yell.

"That woman just keeps getting friendlier, doesn't she?" Gwaine was the first to speak up after the guards left them, earning a few chuckles from the others, except for Elyan.

"Are you kidding me?" He said, making the others lookup.

"I have to share a cell with Gwaine, _again?"_

The knights laughed, sharing multiple compassionate responses.

Tristian, who had been leaning against the wall, let out a small grunt. He reached for the cut on his arm, which was now closing with dark red, crusty blood patches.

"You're wounded." Merlin pointed to his arm, making the others sneak a glance. Tristian wanted to shrug and wave him away but Merlin was already taking off his neckerchief. "Take off your shirt."

Tristian hesitated for a few moments before slowly taking off his tunic, hissing when the fabric slid over the cut.

"Nice view," Gwaine said, earning a slap from both his cellmates. Tristian couldn't help but snicker slightly. Merlin wrapped his neckerchief tightly over the cut, restaining any more blood from flowing out. When he was done, Tristian smiled gratefully at him.

After a few hours, the doors to the dungeon suddenly opened. A small group of prisoners came down, wearing terrified faces. They got locked away a couple cells beyond theirs. When the guard came back, they threw some dry bread in each of the cells that already contained people. They shared it evenly between the three of them.

***

For four days, that was their rhythm. In the morning and evening, a new group of prisoners was brought in. They got a piece of bread and sometimes a small bowl of water. Any prisoner who misbehaved would be taken away. Their screams to be heard clearly above the dungeon for more than two hours. When they were brought back, they would be covered with blood, emotionless expression on their face

But one evening, Tristian saw something he had begged he wouldn't see.

The doors had opened as usual, but the group of prisoners was much larger than before. The others had stopped paying attention to the newlings after the first morning, but Tristian always scanned the group, checking if there would be someone he knew.

His breath got caught in his throat.

Among the group, a young, small child was walking between the adults. She was blindfolded, as were the others. Her strawberry blond hair was covered in dirt like she hadn't washed in days. She was clutching a ragdoll puppet, who was in the same bad shape as its owner. The doll had half her hair up in a ponytail, kept together by a small pink bow, the other half was slouched down beside her face as if she wasn't complete. As if she was missing a piece. The piece Tristian still had in his pocket.

It was Isabelle.

He screamed, he yelled, he cried, all while making no sound at all. The others tried calming him down, asking what was wrong. But he kicked them away, barely even hearing them. He wanted to kill whoever had dared to touch her, he wanted to make them beg for mercy. But most of all, he wanted to protect his sister. He needed to be there for her, helping her, comforting her. He just needed to break out of this godforsaken cell.

Obviously, the guards noticed his behavior. They didn't even try calming him down, they just reached in their pocket for the keys. Tristian finally seemed to snap out of his rage and became of the fact he was about to be dragged out. He turned around to his cellmates and met the eyes of Arthur. He reached in his pocket and pushed the bow in the King's hands. Arthur's face was filled with confusion, as opposed to the mute's determined face. Then, Tristian's hands were pulled behind his back and he was dragged out of the dungeon.

It had all happened so fast, no one was really sure what had really happened.

Lancelot, who hadn't been able to see anything, spoke up. "What just happened?"

"I have no idea..." Elyan replied.

"Tristian went crazy or something. He started pulling on the bars and everything." Percival said, sounded perplexed.

Arthur looked down at his hands. Tristian had handed him a pink bow he recognized from the night before they got captured. He had told him it had belonged to his sister.

Then suddenly it clicked.

"He saw his sister..." Arthur mumbled, barely audible.

Gwaine put his hand up to his ear. "What was that?"

"He saw his sister." He repeated, louder this time. He looked up. "His little sister got captured."

"And how do you know that?" Gwaine said boldly, clearly not believing it.

"He told me." He explained, holding up the bow. "This bow belongs to his sister. He gave it to me before he got taken away. He must have seen her in the line of prisoners."

"We can't be sure about that," Elyan responded after no one said anything.

"Oh, so he just freaked out over nothing, and then gave me this bow?" Arthur snapped, his voice filled with mock.

The others went quiet and stayed quiet.

They always thought hearing the screams of someone in pain was the worst sound imaginative. But the truth was, silence was far, far worse. The two hours were pure agony for them, their body filled to the brim with worry. But they couldn't even begin to imagine what pain their friend must be experiencing.

When the doors finally opened again, the knights all jumped up. The sight was worse then they had expected.

The poor mute couldn't even stand. He was hanging in the arms of two guards. He wasn't strong enough to fight against gravity, his head hanging down weakly. His face was wet, small water droplets dripping down his hair. But the worst part, his back was completely red with blood, not even a small patch of clean skin shining through. Every last square had an oozing wound flowing with fresh, thick blood.

One of the guards let go of his arm and grabbed the key, opening the door. Tristian got roughly thrown in, falling in the arms of Arthur and Merlin.

"How is he?" Percival asked from the other cell.

"Not good." Was Merlin's response, who was checking the villager all over. "It seems he's been badly whipped, cut and held underwater."

"I'm gonna kill that witch." Gwaine was growling, actually growling.

"That won't help anything, we just need to get him good medicine," Elyan responded.

Arthur wasn't paying attention to his knights arguing. He was focusing on his hurt friend. Tristian was barely conscious, his eyes looking around without meaning. He tried moving his arms, but couldn't hover them higher than his chest.

Then suddenly, he reached his hand down his breeches.

Arthur and Merlin let out a surprised, almost startled, noise. "What the f- What are you doing?!" Arthur yelled, covering his servant's eyes.

The mute didn't respond and pulled his hand out again.

In his hand, a ring with two keys attached to it.

Their eyes widened. "How did you..." Merlin didn't even finish before cheering loudly, jumping up and down in his cell.

The knights looked at him like he lost his mind. "What are you so happy about?"

"The idiot stole the keys!" Merlin exclaimed in pure glee, before realizing he probably shouldn't be so loud.

The knights lightened up, sputtering unfinished sentences out of disbelief.

Arthur, who was still crouched down, slowly reached out and grabbed the keys. Tristian's grip loosened and he finally looked up, a cheeky grin visible on his face.

The king grabbed him by his shoulder, returning the smile. "Tristian, you sly genius." He muttered, before standing up.

He put his arm through the bars and stuck the key in the keyhole, the door swinging open. He proceeded by opening the other two cells.

Tristian tried standing up, but his legs gave in underneath him. Luckily Lancelot and Leon were quickly by his side, helping him up.

"We have to find his sister, we can't leave her here," Arthur said, already walking down the corridor. Lancelot put the mute's arm around his shoulder and followed Arthur, dragging him with him.

Arthur stopped by one of the cells when he saw a little girl submerged in the shadows. She was holding a doll in her hand. One of her pigtails was missing, and Arthur instantly knew they had the right one.

"Little girl!" He whisper-shouted. Crouching down to her height.

She looked up, her eyes identical to Tristian's. "Come here, we're getting you out of here."

She quickly shook her head, clutching her doll tighter.

"Hey, it's okay. We're friends of your brother, Tristian." Merlin had walked up to the cell, crouching down beside Arthur.

She shivered and scooted closer. "Where is he?" Her voice was quivering of fright, but she also sounded curious.

"He's not in great shape, but-" The king got cut off by Tristian suddenly launching himself forwards, escaping Lancelot's grip.

He fell down on his knees in front of the cell. The girl gasped and crawled over. "Tristian!" She reached out, trying to grab his hand, but her arm was too short.

The older brother looked up and smiled. The king had no idea how he managed to but he flashed a sincere smile at her. He started moving his hands.

 _"They're my friends. We're gonna you out of here."_ He signed.

"How did you get so wounded?" She whispered, her voice filled with worry.

_"I'm fine, don't worry about me."_

The other knights didn't dare interfere with them, even though they knew the guards might come any second.

Tristian looked at his king and nodded to the keys still in his hands. He nodded and stood up. He slid the key in and opened the door.

The girl instantly jumped out of the cell, running over to her brother. She nearly made him fall over by putting her little arms around him. He hugged back just as eagerly, but let go shortly. They weren't safe until they got out of the castle.

So he pushed himself up, leaning on Lancelot again. Isabelle quickly got picked up by Percival, she protested shortly but Tristian calmed her down enough to keep her still.

The group made their way to the end of the corridor. Arthur used the keys and they broke out, once the door was open, he handed the keys to the teenage girl in the cell closest to them. She stared for a few seconds in disbelief before muttering a thousand thank you's.

They knocked out any guards in their way and by the time they were nearly a mile away from the castle, they knew they wouldn't be caught anymore.

"I think we'll be safe here for a while," Leon said after they had found an open space in the woods. The others nodded in agreement.

After Tristian was put against a tree, he kind of let himself collapse. He coughed loudly, allowing himself to let the pain take over for a while. He closed his eyes and shut down his body for a well-deserved sleep.

But Merlin shook him awake. "Tristian, stay up for a little longer."

Gwaine walked up to them. "Why? Shouldn't he rest?"

Merlin shook his head. "I'm afraid of late-drowning. I need to know if he swallowed any water."

The mute slowly opened his eyes, looking at Merlin with an almost annoyed expression.

"They dunked your head underwater, isn't that right?" Merlin asked carefully.

He nodded, coughing another time.

"Did you swallow any water?"

He didn't answer at first, staring blankly in space. Merlin realized it was probably horrible to have to look back at those memories. After a while, he nodded.

The warlock's stomach clenched together. "Are you sure?"

He nodded again, letting his head fall back against the tree.

The warlock swallowed thickly, leaning forward to press his head on the other's chest. His breaths were uneven and there was a sickening sloshing around in his lungs each time he inhaled.

Merlin stood up, his eyes filled with worry. "Gwaine, make sure he doesn't fall unconscious. Leon, get him some Valerian, it's this white fluffy flower with big green leaves."

Both knights nodded, instantly starting on their task. Arthur came up to Merlin. "What's going on?"

"He swallowed water while holding his breath. There's moisture in his lungs that needs to get out. If he falls asleep now, his lungs won't get enough oxygen and he might not wake up anymore." He said, sounding just like Gaius.

The little girl, who had been clutching both her doll and Percival, had fallen asleep against the knight. Probably from the relief of all the stress being over. The knight had put her up against a tree, taking off his cape to use as a blanket.

Gwaine was crouching down next to the mute. Any time his eyes threatened to close he shook him awake again, the knight gently muttered: "Stay awake." or "Hold on a little longer."

After what seemed like an eternity, the curly-haired knight returned. A small, white plant in his hand. Merlin jumped up, taking over the flower. He kneeled down in front of his weak friend, waving Gwaine away.

He raised his hand to squeezed his nostrils shut and instructed the other knights to do the same. With one hand, he crushed the green leaves together and pushed it under the boy's nose.

Instantly, he jerked up in panic. He put both his hands on the ground and started coughing loudly, making rough choking and wheezing sounds. Gwaine, who was closest by, comfortingly put his hand on the other's back.

After a few coughs, a big splash of water came out of his throat. Finally, he was done. He wiped his mouth and sat up again, looking even paler than the moon itself.

No one even needed to say anything before he let himself go limp and fell in Gwaine's arms. The knight luckily didn't seem to mind it one bit, catching him easily.

The healer stood up with a loud sigh. "Let him rest. I'll treat his wounds in the morning."

"Will he be okay?" Leon asked, clearly worried.

Merlin bit his lip slightly. "The most important part was getting the water out. But..." he paused, looking back at the mute, who was now pretty much laying in Gwaine's lap. "I will try my best to prevent his wounds from getting infected, but if they do... I'm not sure we'll be back in Camelot on time to cure the infection."

The king swallowed. "We can't let him die." He said, trying to sound monotone.

Merlin didn't answer, instead looking at the ground. Lancelot stepped in between the two friends. "We're all tired. Elyan and Percival already started a fire, let's sleep."

They both nodded, before turning around and finding a place to rest.

None of the knights got a good night's sleep that night.

***

The following morning arrived after a long time. All the knights woke up early, afraid Morgana was still searching for them.

Merlin had sent them out to get the herbs he needed for Tristian's back. He made a mixture and applied it over every wound he could spot.

The little girl, who they had learned was named Isabelle, had not left her brother's side. All the free time they shared, they spend talking endlessly to each other. It sounded really weird, it was like the girl was talking to herself the whole time. It was nice to have someone who could understand his sign language though.

When they started moving again, each of them would take turns carrying Tristian. The mute was weak and in a lot of pain. Merlin had given him painkillers, but most painkiller herbs that grew in this forest would knock him out and they couldn't carry him if he was limp.

After a full day of walking, they were still nowhere close Camelot, and they quickly realized there was just no way they were gonna make it in time.

Tristian seemed to realize it too.

After they had settled down, he waved Isabelle over. The innocent girl sat in front of him. "What's wrong?"

 _"Can you translate something for me?"_ He signed, gesturing to the other knights.

"Of course." She mumbled, confused. She turned around to the fellow travelers. "Tristian wants to say something to you guys."

They shared worried glances with each other before nodded, making their way over to Tristian.

He grunted softly as he changed position, forcing himself to look at them. Slowly, he started signing.

Instantly, the girl shot up, grabbing his arm. "We're not leaving you behind!"

Arthur shot up too. "Don't even think about it!"

"I'm only slowing you down," Isabelle said, in sync with her brother's hands.

"Like we care!" Gwaine spoke up. "You're coming with us, whether you want it or not."

The mute snickered slightly and shook his head as if he already made up his mind. He turned to his sister. _"Go with them. They'll keep you safe."_

She shook her head, ignoring the others. "I don't want to lose you!" She sobbed.

Tristian put up his hand to start signing but gave up halfway. He leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes.

Merlin stumbled forward from the crowd and put a hand on his chest. It was rising slowly and unstable.

"Is he..." Leon didn't finish, looking at Merlin expectantly.

The young servant shook his head. "Not yet, but his body is shutting down from all bloodloss and pain."

"Will he survive the night?" Arthur asked, being careful of his words since the young girl was still standing near them.

"Let's all rest, there's nothing we can do for him now anyway," Merlin answered, completely avoiding the question.

The knights nodded and separated from each other, trying to think of a task they could do.

***

Tristian was dying, that was something he was sure of.

Well, it was a good life. Met the king, protected his sister, flirted with Gwaine.

What else would you want?

Well, obviously, he wanted to live. He wanted to stay with the other knights, who he now considered his friends. He wanted to go on all sorts of wacky adventures with them, getting themselves in life-threatening situations but somehow still escaping and laughing the whole ordeal off.

Wait... He wasn't ready to die yet!

He was still young! He wanted to live! He wanted to-

Wait, what was that? Someone was whispering to him. But they weren't words. It sounded more like gibberish.

_Was someone producing a spell?_

Yeah, this was definitely a sorcerer's doing. What were they doing to him? Were they saving him or killing him?

He wasn't sure.

Wait, what's happening? He felt fuzzy. Like a volcano was erupting in his stomach, but a friendly volcano. His numbness got replaced by pain, but it wasn't painful pain. It was pain like someone was pressing on a bruise.

 _Does that even make sense?_ He didn't care anymore, something was happening to his body and he had no idea what it was.

Suddenly, a big breeze of air was pushed in his lungs. He gasped loudly, trying to control his breathing. Colors filled his sight.

Had he been closing his eyes the whole time? he couldn't remember when he closed them.

He blinked for a few times, his pupils darting around curiously.

Merlin's face was merely a few inches away from his.

He instinctively scooted away. Merlin's face seemed to lighten up. "You're okay!"

When had he not been okay? Right, he got tortured back at Morgana's castle.

His eyes widened and he looked at the servant in confusion.

"I healed you!" He exclaimed, his voice filled with happiness.

He blinked for a few times. Merlin's a sorcerer?

 _"You have magic?"_ He signed, before realizing Merlin couldn't understand him that way, so he just pointed at him multiple times.

"Yes! I did! You're alive!" Merlin said, grabbing him by his shoulder.

Tristian looked at him before finally realizing that Merlin had actually just saved his life. Who cares if Merlin is a sorcerer? He wasn't dying anymore!

He jumped up from excitement, grabbing his savior by his hands and spinning around in a circle. He laughed without sound and hugged Merlin tightly.

"What's all that noise?" A shadow had come up to them, but Tristian quickly recognized it as Leon. Once they made eye contact, the blond's face lightened up. "You're okay! But- How did you-" He turned to Merlin, who was grinning smugly.

Suddenly Tristian got tackled to the ground by someone who had sneaked behind them. Two strong hands pinned him to the ground and when he looked up he was met with the caramel eyes of Gwaine.

The two men shared the exact same wide grin before pulled each other in a firm embrace. "I thought you were a goner! Don't scare us like that." The black-haired knight mumbled in the other's ear, his chuckle hearable through the sentence.

"Easy Gwaine." Another voice spoke up, belonging to Lancelot. Behind him was Percival and Elyan, who were grinning widely at the sight of the tangled up men.

Gwaine smiled brightly before standing up, pulling Tristian up with him. Both of them looked up by the sound of a leaf being crushed underneath a boot.

Arthur was standing before, the fondness of his friend's recovery visible all over his face. He walked up closer, putting a hand on the other's shoulder.

"Good to have you back, Tristian." Was all the king said. He didn't pull him in an embrace. He didn't cry. He barely laughed. But it was enough.

The mute smiled back at him. They stayed like that for a while, the silence was comfortable.

Percival was the first to speak up. "The sun's coming up." He mumbled, shielding his eyes from the light.

"We should get going," Elyan replied, tying his cape to his neck.

The others nodded and within minutes they were walking again. Isabelle, who was still sleeping, was being carried by Leon. They spend their time talking to each other, their mood a lot better than yesterday. They talked the whole day, and the day after that, and the day after that, and then they reached Camelot.

The knights were warmly welcomed. They got plates full of food which they gorged down gratefully.

Back in Morgana's castle, they had given the keys to another one of the prisoners. Apparently, they weren't the only ones who escaped out of the cell that night.

Morgana had been furious when she found out, but not nearly as angry as Cenred, who had kicked her out of his castle after finding out how badly she failed. She had disappeared again, probably to return later for another attack of revenge. Cenred apologized deeply and offered to repay any of the damage they had done to Camelot's villages.

It seemed everything had ended well.

Except it didn't.

Tristian was packing his and his sister's bags. Arthur had given him a horse to get back to Barmourne, where he would resume his job as blacksmith.

His sister was combing her doll's hair, the two bows back in place where they belonged. She had been jumping up and down the whole day, excited to return home and see their mother again.

Her brother? Not so much. He didn't want to say goodbye to his new friends yet. He was going to miss their company.

He swung his backpack over his shoulder and called his sister over. They stepped out of the room and made their way to the square, where his horse and the knights were waiting.

He was surprised the king was actually saying goodbye to him personally, he expected him to have been busy, like a normal king.

He walked past them, lifting Isabelle on the horse and attaching his bags to the saddle, once he was finished he turned around to face the knights

They stared at each other for a few moments. The silence being awkward. "Come on you guys, it's not a funeral," Gwaine spoke up, stepping forward.

Tristian couldn't help but snicker slightly, he was gonna miss the meaningless flirting with Gwaine the most. Gwaine was grinning widely. "Let's not be strangers, right handsome?"

The men embraced each other. Jokingly, Gwaine slid his hand down to the other's bottoms, earning a slap on the back of his head.

Then, the mute grabbed the other's collar and forced their lips together, earning loud whistles and howls from the group watching.

The kiss wasn't passionate or loving, but teasingly and cute, and the quiet boy pulled away shortly after. Still, it left Gwaine as a blushing nervous mess. Tristian found it adorable.

He went on to hugging each of the knights down the line. The last two were Merlin and Arthur.

After his hug with the warlock, he pulled back and put his index finger over his mouth. Without words he brought the message: _"I won't tell anyone."_

Merlin smiled back relieved and returned the gesture. The two stared at each knowingly before Tristian firmly squeezed his shoulder and turned to Arthur.

"Tristian..." The king began, but Tristian waved him away. He stepped in closer and shortly hugged him. The two looked at each other for a few moments.

"You sure you don't want to stay here? You'd become a good knight." Arthur stated, scratching his neck. Tristian shook his head before nodding to his sister.

"Right," Arthur muttered. "Family comes first."

Tristian nodded and shrugged. He turned around, taking over the leash from his sister's hands. He quickly mounted the horse, who stepped around a bit by the new weight.

He looked back at the knights, who were smiling at him. He smiled back.

_Let's just get this over with._

He turned forward again and kicked his horse, who neighed loudly before galloping out of the castle gate.

But as the wind flew past his face, he could feel himself getting sadder with each step.

***

"I haven't seen you smile at all in the past week."

Tristian looked up from his work, a pickaxe he had been working on. His mother was leaning on the doorframe, a worried glint in her eyes.

 _"I'm fine."_ He signed, looking back to his table, wiping a piece of fabric over the weapon.

"You're not!" His mother exclaimed, stepping into the room. "I can sense your sadness from here."

He sighed and put the pickaxe down. _"I guess I'm just..."_ He didn't finish, not being able to make up a lie.

She walked up to him, grabbing hold of his arm. "You're missing those knights from Camelot, aren't you?"

He should have guessed his mother would guess it, he's always been an open book. He lifted his head and slowly nodded.

She rubbed his back. "Why didn't you stay with them?"

He looked at her in surprise. _"I have work here! Plus, I need to stay with you and Isabelle."_

"We'll be fine on our own." She replied, chuckling slightly. "And who needs a blacksmith in this tiny town?"

His mouth gaped open. _"Are you serious?"_

"Of course I am." She ruffled his hair. "You obviously like it more over there than here."

He was frozen in place for a few seconds, clearly debating his options.

"Go on then." His mother chuckled slightly, hugging his arm. "You belong there."

He stared at her for a few moments before jumping up and hugging her tightly.

Within an hour he had all his stuff packet, already sitting on a horse. His sister had cried when he told her he was leaving but eventually understood. He had held her tightly as well as his mom.

He shot a last smile at them before giving his horse the sign to leave.

And he had ridden harder than ever before, the wind blowing harshly in his face, pushing his hair backwards. Every inch of his body was filled with determination.

He was going home.

***

_Arise, Sir Tristian_

_Knight of Camelot_

**Author's Note:**

> This has been in my scribbles for a long time and today I decided to upload it. No reason really. Sorry for any spelling mistakes! <3


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